According to data from FlightRadar24, the jet displayed unusual variations in altitude and airspeed in the first several minutes of flight after taking off from Denpasar on the holiday island of Bali on Sunday evening, - including an 875-foot drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending - before stabilizing and flying on to Jakarta.
Lion Air CEO Edward Sirait told reporters on Monday a technical problem had occurred on the Denpasar-Jakarta flight but it had been resolved “according to procedure”.
National Transport Safety Committee (NSTC) deputy chief Haryo Satmiko told reporters on Tuesday there were technical problems on that flight, including unreliable airspeed readings.
“The suspected cause of the accident is still being investigated and it is making us all curious what could have caused it,” he said. Satmiko gave no further details.
The Denpasar-Jakarta flight landed at 10:55 p.m. local time on Sunday, giving engineers six-and-a-half hours at most for checks before it was dispatched for the fatal Jakarta-Pangkal Pinang flight at 6:20 a.m. on Monday.
The plane plunged into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta and all 189 people on board are believed dead.
FlightRadar24 also reported unusual air speeds and altitudes in the few minutes that Flight JT610 was in the air on Monday.
Satmiko said the agency had not yet met with the technician who handled the maintenance of the aircraft between the two flights.
Safety experts say the crash investigation is at a very preliminary stage and it is too early to speculate about the cause.
